Stochastic Processes in Electrochemistry

Stochastic behavior becomes an increasingly dominant characteristic of electrochemical systems as we probe them on the smallest scales. Advances in the tools and techniques of nanoelectrochemistry dictate that stochastic phenomena will become more widely manifest in the future. In this Perspective, we outline the conceptual tools that are required to analyze and understand this behavior. We draw on examples from several specific electrochemical systems where important information is encoded in, and can be derived from, apparently random signals. This Perspective attempts to serve as an accessible introduction to understanding stochastic phenomena in electrochemical systems and outlines why they cannot be understood with conventional macroscopic descriptions.